After 32 years in Nob Hill, Flying Star is kicking off a new era. The beloved restaurant located at 3416 Central Avenue SE, re-opened on Saturday, November 16th, 2019, after being closed over three months for renovations. For Flying Star owners Jean and Mark Bernstein, the renovation is an exciting new chapter in a journey that began in 1987 when they opened Double Rainbow Ice Cream in the space. They wanted a local place where people could feel a sense of community. Double Rainbow eventually expanded to a cafe, and ultimately became Flying Star.
For the Bernsteins, the decision to renovate the cafe was as much about the neighborhood as it was about the restaurant itself. Reinvesting in the area is a celebration of all the businesses and citizens who make Nob Hill great – a declaration that Nob Hill is still the city’s most original place to dine, shop, and live, and that it’s still going strong.
“Route 66 Central is the heart beat of our city. It’s the main line that all of Albuquerque sprouted from,” says Jean. “It has layers and layers, miles and miles of character over many decades, even centuries. So much of it has been eroded, mowed over. But it’s still one of the only funky, urban corridors in the city. It is one of the only places among malls and out of state corporate developments that we Burqueños can call our own. And we really need that.”
When people step into the newly renovated Flying Star, they’ll immediately feel the same rush of warmth and welcome, smell the same delicious food, and see the desserts that Flying Star is known for. But they’ll see a completely refreshed space that takes the locally owned and operated restaurant into the future.
Like Nob Hill itself, the newly renovated Flying Star pays homage to the past, while moving forward to a bright future. That’s something everyone can celebrate.
“We have new flooring, a new front facade, new equipment, new lighting, new layout, and a bigger conference room. But it was important to us to incorporate elements of the building’s history,” says Jean. “It was built in the 1940’s, and during the renovation, we discovered the original brick on part of the building, so we restored that. With the help of Tyson Parker and Sara Rain Stewart of Studio 151 Architects and Klinger Constructors, we have been able to bring out the best of this old building, and the neighborhood.”
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